Top five pubs for value for money

The Monday to Friday lunch specials at this handsome art deco pub are really easy on the purse. The bar menu changes seasonally and the food covers all pubby bases with salads, pizzas, burger and steaks.

Hotel Mosman, Mosman

With prices for restaurant-quality meals hovering at the $20 mark, what’s not to like about this smart, casual hotel? Even in the hip upstairs dining room you can score a porterhouse steak with bearnaise sauce and creamy mash for (just) less than a tenner. A bargain.

Bangor Tavern, Bangor

The weeknight specials are excellent value. On Monday and Tuesday nights, there’s a $9 chicken schnitzel and a 250-gram rump steak, and on Wednesdays there’s a $15 quarter-rack of pork ribs, all three served with chips, gravy and salad, plus a weekday $10 lunch menu.

The Strawberry Hills Hotel, Surry Hills

The most expensive thing on the menu here is the $20 rib-eye, with most mains hovering around $18 (grilled barramundi fillet) and $15 (twice-cooked pork belly). It’s good, too.

Commercial Hotel, Dubbo

In the central west you’d expect meaty dishes like caramelised pork belly and steak, but the relaxed bistro at Dubbo’s Commercial also serves up dishes such as pumpkin and basil arancini risotto with herbed yoghurt. There’s great value in the a la carte mains – all below $20 – and weekday lunch specials at $15 including a beer or soft drink.